Salford[1] is a city in Greater Manchester, immediately to the west of the city of Manchester. Salford borders Manchester and Trafford to the east and South and to the north the Boroughs of Bolton and Bury.

Salford is home to the Roman Catholic Cathedral for the diocese of the same name, which includes most of Greater Manchester and parts of Lancashire and West Yorkshire. Although the City of Salford borders with the City of Manchester, in part along the River Irwell and in the inner city, where Strangeways borders Broughton and Higher Broughton borders Cheetham Hill, it is a city in its own right (as its more loyal, long term residents will often let you know if you give them a reason). To incomers, this loyalty is a little less pronounced, as it remains, in many ways, a city without its own centre.

Manchester's influence remains strong, and the boundary meanders through the middle of shopping districts, such as on Bury Old Road in Cheetham Hill, bisects businesses and even goes through party walls in places. Many people, who move to the area, have a Greater Manchester perspective. The city is extremely diverse, ranging from an urban city centre environment at its immediate border with the City of Manchester, into suburbia and then into open fields at semi-rural Worsley. More and more people are choosing to make Salford their home with the welcome regeneration of inner city areas such as Broughton, Ordsall and Salford Quays. Many areas such as Swinton, Eccles and Worsley provide a good environment to bring up families and are well established communities. Ellesmere Park and the best parts of Worsley are extremely affluent and can often rival anything South Manchester or nearby, very upmarket Prestwich and Whitefield have to offer.

A large proportion of Greater Manchester's Jewish population lives in Salford, mainly in Broughton Park, parts of Kersal and in Higher Broughton around Leicester Road.

Contents

Get in

By air

Manchester International Airport, known locally as Ringway, is located to the South of Greater Manchester and offers internal, European and intercontinental flights. Direct trains serve Salford Crescent from the Airport's railway station. However, to reach most parts of the city, the best option would be to take a train to Manchester city centre and take a tram from Piccadilly, a train from Piccadilly or Victoria to the relevant suburban stop, or a bus.

Liverpool John Lennon Airport is located approximately 30miles to the West of Salford and can be reached by car, via the M62, or by coach, which stops at Manchester Chorlton Street and Eccles without the need for pre-booking. Liverpool Airport is served primarily by budget carriers.

Barton Aerodrome, between Eccles and Worsley, is now called City Airport. It contains the South Lancashire Aeroclub, which offer pleasure flights.

By train

Salford's main railway station is Salford Crescent, which has trains to Manchester (Oxford Road, Piccadilly and Victoria), Bolton, Wigan and Preston. There are connections at Preston and Manchester Piccadilly to London Euston. Other stations are Salford Central, Eccles and Patricroft on the Liverpool line, Swinton, Moorside and Walkden on the Liverpool, Kirkby and Southport route, and Clifton on the Bolton line.

By tram

Salford is served by the Eccles Line on the Metrolink system, which runs approximately every ten minutes. This Line connects Eccles with Manchester Piccadilly via Eccles New Road, Salford Quays and Manchester City Centre. Passengers can change at Cornbrook to connect with the southbound Altrincham Line or at Piccadilly Gardens to connect with the Northbound Bury Line. Plans are afoot to extend the Metrolink Network across the North-East and South of Greater Manchester, though none of these new routes will go through Salford.

By bus

The nearest National Express coach station is Manchester Central.The regular Manchester to Liverpool service has stops along Regent Road in Salford.
Local bus services are provided by Firstbus for the most part. Buses from Manchester city centre leave for various parts of Salford from Piccadilly Bus Station as well as Shudehill.

By car

Follow any directions relating to Manchester and you will find your way. The M602 motorway, off the M60 orbital road, is signposted Manchester and Salford. There are also signs on the Manchester/Salford inner ring road.

Get around

Like much of Greater Manchester the area is quite well served by public transport.The metrolink tram service is reliable but pricey and it is well worth considering a Metromax day ticket if you plan a few journeys on the system. Most bus services in Salford are provided by "Firstbus". Day tickets are also available. Some night bus services serve the area on friday and saturday nights.

As with most larger UK cities an A-Z map is a must. Most of Salford should be in any smaller Manchester A-Z and all will be in any A-Z ,or similar, covering Greater Manchester.

See

The River Irwell flows through Salford and forms, for the most part, the border with Bury and Manchester. Canals include the Manchester Ship Canal, which forms the border with Trafford and the Bridgewater Canal, Britian's oldest.

The Salford Quays have recently been redeveloped, and contain some interesting architecture, an outlet mall, The Lowry Art Gallery and Theatres and The Imperial War Museum North, which is over the water in Trafford Borough.

Ordsall Hall.

Working Class Movement Library.

Salford RC Cathedral.

Worsley Village.

Walkden, Manchester Road East. Walkden is a small village by Salford. Well worth checking out for its extensive range of shops and restaurants. However, it is not suitable for off-road vehicles to drive along due to the 3-tonne weight limit on some roads.

The Lowry Outlet Center. Directly across from the Lowry Art Gallery, the Lowry Outlet Center has a ton of stores to buy clothes and other goods at discounted prices. Some stores include The Gap, Accesorize and more.

Do

Salford Museum and Art Gallery, Peel Park, M5 4WU. Devoted to the history of Salford and Victorian art and architecture. Adjacent to the University/Salford Crescent station.

Sport

Salford City Reds (rugby league) at Salford City Stadium - buses 67 and 100 stop near the stadium on Liverpool Road.

Manchester United (football) at Old Trafford - walk from Exchange Quay Metrolink stop.

Buy

West One at Eccles near the tram stop. This venture seems doomed and plans are it will reduce in size giving way to a supermarket in part.

Salford Shopping City, Pendleton.This is hardly one for the tourists, but it is clean and offers locals ,many of whom will be residents of the nearby tower blocks, a reasonable selection of shops. Of interest to students of urban planning perhaps? You can not help wondering what all this 1960's concrete replaced.

Swinton Precinct, Chorley Road, Swinton. This is over the road from Salford's Civic Centre. It serves mainly residents of the suburbs of Swinton and Pendlebury.

Ellesmere Centre, Manchester Rd/Bolton Road, Walkden.

Trafford Centre, Trafford Park. Reached by bus from Eccles, Manchester City Centre or Stretford Metrolink and dedicated link bus ( leaving Stretford station turn right and then first right for the bus stop ), or by car via the M60. This is a temple for shopping, as indicated by its design and is located across the boundary in Trafford Borough.

Manchester United Shop, Old Trafford Stadium, Sir Matt Busby Way, also in neighbouring Trafford Borough. This is a mecca for all those wishing to by the latest Manchester United products. Everything can be bought here, from replica shirts to teddy bears.

Eat

At The Quays there is a pleasant square between The Lowry and the neighbouring outlet mall. There you will find a selection of bars and eating places including a Pizza Express and a Cafe Rouge.Over the water, in Trafford, at The Imperial War Museum North, the cafe has great views of the Lowry and the emerging media city.

The Lowry has its own restaurant which also has a pleasant outside terrace overlooking The Imperial War Museum North. Service is attentive and the food very good.

There are also good restaurants around all areas of Salford , although these are mostly serving locals. The very pleasant urban village suburbs of Monton and Worsley are both worth a mention however.

The Restaurant at Greater Manchester's first five star hotel The Lowry Hotel (just behind Manchester city centre's Deansgate and linked by a futuristic bridge to the square behind The House of Fraser department store) is one of the top places to eat in the conurbation. Take care if using a taxi to say "The Lowry Hotel", so as not to confuse it with the arts centre a couple of miles away. It is said they have a new take on afternoon tea which is a modern alternative to the offerings of such as The Midland Hotel.

The Campanile Hotel ( a French budget chain ) has a reasonably priced restaurant on Regent Road, walking distance from Manchester centre and handy for The Quays.

Drink

Crescent - pub - near Salford University.

Mark Addy - pub - near Salford Central rail station, on the river Irwell, and overlookig the Spinningfields area of Manchester city centre.

Lime Bar - bar - at The Lowry Outlet Mall.

Sleep

Salford boasts what was the first, and for a very short time the only, five star hotel in Greater Manchester ,The Lowry Hotel. See the Eat section above. It offers a range of accommodation including luxurious suites popular with visiting stars who are playing at the nearby MEN arena.

There are a few budget hotels worth considering, into Salford , just outside Manchester city centre, such as The Campanile on Regent Road and a very handy hotel opposite "Renault Manchester" , The Stay Inn Hotel on the junction of Blackfriars and Trinity Way. Both are a (safe) few minutes walk from Manchester city centre.

Also The Manchester Central Travelodge on Blackfiars and the very nearby Premier Lodge are both geographically in Salford but just over the river Irwell from Manchester city centre. This shows what an unusual city Salford is. You will find these just across Blackfriars Bridge and Victoria Bridge respectively, off Deansgate. They are clean and reasonably priced, but be warned the Travelodge is very popular at weekends with stags and hens! You could not be more central with these two options however.

Further out there is a country club style hotel at Worsley near the M60 motorway. It is The Novotel Manchester West.

Stay safe

Salford, in common with other inner city areas, suffers from a disproportionate level of crime. The majority of crime is petty. Street robberies are rare, though theft of and from vehicles is rife. Salford does have a "reputation." However most of the stories regarding Salford and its villains are very much the stuff of urban myth and legend. Common sense, being streetwise, and awareness of your surroundings should minimise the risk of being a victim of crime. In an emergency, dial 999 or 112 and ask for the service you require (Police, Fire or Ambulance).

Contact

The international telephone dialling code for the United Kingdom is +44. The local area code is 0161.
Salford does not have a postcode of its own as it is in the Manchester "M" Postal Area. Thus, Salford Postcodes are in the following format: M1 1ZZ or M11 1ZZ.

This is a usable article. It has information for getting in as well as some complete entries for restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please plunge forward and help it grow!